Melting furnace



A. J. GRINDLE. MENING FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, i922.

l ,420, 3 1 2 Patented June 20, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. J. GRINDLE.

MELTING FURNACE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1922.

nA 2 92 1T 0.1m 24 mm E rr- JW m3 t nu D.. imm T MH/HHWNWW? A. l. GRNDLE.

MELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. 1922.

Patented June 20, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Figc m AUBREY J. GR'INDLE, or cHIcAGo, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR 'ro GRINDLE FUEL EQUIP."

PATENT Price.

MENT COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. y

- speciaeation f Letters raient.

Patented June 2o, 1922.

riginal application led July?, 1916, Serial No. 107,990. Divided and this application led March 3,

' 1922. Serial No. 540,668.4

To all whom it may concern? Be it known that I, AUBREY J. GRINDLE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, county of Qook, Yand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Melting Furnaces, of which the following is a specification and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

.The invention relates to metallurgical furnaces and especially to so-called malleable iron melting furnaces, the object of the invention being to provide an improved furtnace adapted for the use of powdered coal as fuel for melting the iron from which malleable castings are produced. In previous attempts-to 'melt malleable iron with powdered coal difficulty has been experienced in bringingthe bath to the desired.

temperature without large losses of material by oxidation or the use of an excessiveV amount of fuel. Furthermore, while powdered'co'al'melting furnaces have been proposed, it has been assumed that the provision of a separate combustion chamber having refractory walls was 'necessary for maintaining ignition of the flame, especially during the early stages of the operation, and the results obtained with these furnaces have been unsatisfactory. 'f Among the features of these furnaces nove7 believed to be unfavorable and which it is proposed to avoid are ,the developmentv of the highest temperatures in the combustion chamber, rather thanin the hearth chamber, where the melting and vconditioning of the bath are to be accomphshed, the difficulty of fmaintaining the masonry wallsof the y'combustion chamber at the high temperatures attained therein, the accumulation of the melted fuel ash in .the combustion chamber, and, in some cases, the mtroduction of the combustible mixture of air- Aand,fuel at an'excessive velocity and the impossibility of-properly'directing the flame upon the charge. y A

r The present invention contemplates a powdered coal .meltinof furnace having burners directly entering .t e chamber containing the hearth, and preferably in such manner asv 4to cause the flame to impinge obliquely upon the bath, when melted, at the adjacent edge of the hearth. A circulating motion is thus imparted to the melted bath which insures that all parts of the same will be quickly brought to a high temperature. On the other hand, ignition of the flame during the early stages of the operation is satisfactorily maintained by the exposure of a part of the masonry floor of the furnace chamber adjacent the burners while the charge of metal is in the cold, and therefore solidstate, with 'the additional provision, Yif desired, of masonry piers which rise into the pathof the flame without materially obstructing the furnace rchambento the movement of the flamev therethrough. In anyv case the furnace chamber expands immediately or quite abruptly in size from the plane of the burners tothe plane of the adjacent edge of the hearth, and such of the melted fuel ash asl falls upon'the floor of the furnace chamber in front of the hearth drains freely onto A' the hearth to mingle with the slag which forms'upon the bath.

rial No.` 424,362, filed November 16, 1920, and

for my application for patent on furnace, Serial No. 278,595, filed February 24, 1919-, allowed August 4, 1920, and renewed March 28, 1921 Serial Nol 456,209, the latter of which wasa division of my application for patent yon apparatus for burning powdered coal, Serial No. 107,990, filed July 7 1916, now patent No. 1,315,719, dated September 9, 1919.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view showing one form of the improved, furnace Y Fig'. 2 is a transverse section taken` on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; y

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation showing one form of burner which may be used with the improved furnace, the same being drawn toa larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2 and having some parts broken away to an vintermediate sectional plane;

Fig. 4 is similar to a detail of Fig'. 2, but showsl a modified form of the masonry piers within the furnace;

Fig. 5 .is similar to other form of the if'mproved melting furnace with a modified form of burner and with details of the associated fuel storage and fuel ioo F ig.` 1, but shows an- I feeding elements shown principally fin elevation but partly-in section;

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional views taken on the lines 6 6 and 7 7, respectively, of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is also similar to Fig. 1, but shows still another form of the improved melting furnace; and

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are sectional views taken on the lines 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11, respectively, of Fig. 8.

The furnace illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is constructed to provide a continuous heating and combustion chamber '15, the masonry floor of which comprises the hearth 16, and a sloping front end portion 17 which drains onto the adjacent end of the hearth. .F or this purpose the furnace comprises upright side walls 18, 19. front and rear end walls 20, 21, and an arching roof 22 which preferably slopes from front to rear. The burners, as 23, enter the furnace chamber 15 through the front end wall 20. As indicated in Fig. 2, these burners are arranged in a transverse horizontal row, and they are preferably sufficient in number to supply a substantially continuous sheet. of flame throughout the width ofthe hearth 16.

The particular form of burner illustrated in Figs. l and 3 is that shown in my said patent No. 1,315.719, for apparatus f or burning powdered coal. As the invention con templates that the flame will be normally so directed as to impinge upon the bath adja cent the forward edge of the hearth 16, these burners are shown as being fixedly held in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined position. On the other hand. while each of the burners 23 is formed with a flaring mouth 25, within which are mounted a pair of swinging water cooled vanes, as 26, primarily intended for adjustably varying the vertical depth of the burner outlet. these vanes may also be used for changing the direction of the flame. As shown, an adjusting handle 27 is applied to one of the trunnions of each of the vanes 26 upon the outside ofthe burner shell. and clamping devices 28 are provided for fastening the adjusting Yhandles 27 in any selected position throughout their range of movement.

However. it has been found in'practice that when the position of the vanes d26 has once been determined. subsequent adjustment of the vanes will not be required. Furthermore, in event the burners 23 have been originally placed at the correct inclination,

the most satisfactory results will usually be' obtained if the vanes 26 are permanently ad-k justed to their most widely separated posi' tion.

Yhile the invention also contemplates that there is preferably no obstruction in the furnace chamber 15 to interfere either with the drainage of the melted fuel ash from the sloping portion. as 17. of the floor onto the hearth. or -Awith the free movement of the flame through the chamber from end to end,

masonry piers, as 29 (Figs. 1 and 2), or 30 (Fig. 4), may be provided in the path of the flame. lVhile these masonry piers are referred to as a bridge wall in certain of the accompanying claims, they do not, in either of the forms shown, constitute a continuous transverse baffle over which the flame must rise to enter the hearth chamber, as is customary in other furnace structures. The masonry piers 29 or 30 are, however, in each case arranged in a transverse row at the forward edge of the hearth 16. The piers 29, illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, extend inwardly from 'each of the side Walls of the furnace, but they are separated from each other for a substantial distance at their inner ends to provide a commodious central opening 31 extending to the floor of the furnace chamber. The piers 80', illustrated in Fig. 4, on the other hand, are sufficient in number, and of such reduced width, as to provide aseries of openings 32 located atintervals throughout the width of the furnace.

In the operation of the furnace illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, each burner 23 is supplied with a combustible mixture of powdered coal held in suspension with air. preferably through a separate conduit, indicated at 24 (Fig. 1). rlhe flame is ignited by depositing a torch consisting of a mass of burning waste, or the like, upon the inclined portion 17 of the furnace floor, and the burners are adjusted to direct the flame upon the adjacent portion of the hearth. When the masonry piers. as29 or 30, are provided the engagement of the flame with these piers Will assist in maintaining ignition while the charge of metal upon the hearth is still cold. A considerable part of the flame will. however. pass throughthe openings 31 or 32 between the piers. directly to the hearth.

To insure theadmission of sufficient air for the complete combustion of thefuel. and to obtain a depression of the flame upon the' surface ofthe bath throughout .the lengthV and width ofthe hearth, especially when the masonry piers, as29 or 30, are used, a supplemental air supply may be admitted through the furnace roof, as through the nozzle shown at 33 in Figs. 1 and 2. This nozzle is preferably arranged to deliver air into the furnace chamber a short distance beyond the transverse plane of the masonry piers 29 or 30, and preferably in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined flat stream extending throughout the greater part of the width of the furnace. For this purpose the nozzle is relatively long and narrow, Awith a transversely extended outlet slit 34 entering the furnace chamber through the roof 22, 'and air under pressure is supplied through a blast pipe 34a, shown as entering the chamber of the nozzle through one end fof the same (Fig. 2).

The furnaces illustrated on sheets 2 and 3 vof the drawings are each show-n as being equipped with burners 35 of the type forming the subject of my pending application for atent ori-powdered coal apparatus, Serial o. 314,137, filed July 29, 1919. As explained in l said application Serial No. 314,137, the burners herein shown at 35 serve to deliver the combustible mixture of powdered solid fuel held in suspension with air at a relatively low velocity `when the conduits, as 36, supplyingrthe burners, are of such length that the said combustible mixture should travel through the same at high velocity to prevent separation of the powdered solid fuel from the air. The term low velocity, appearing in the accompanying claims, is accordingly used to indicate a delivery of the combustible mixture of fuel and ai-r into the furnace at, a velocity which is substantially less than that desirably maintained in long conduits to'insure that `uniformity in the mixture of fuel and air will not be disturbed in the travel of the mixture through `the conduit.

It will, of course, be understood that where devices for securing a uniform mixture of thev powdered fuel with the air are located immediately adjacent the burner, as shown, for example, in m said Patent No. 1,315,719, and here indicate at 39 (Fig. 1), delivery of the mixture to t-he burner at low velocity 1sl contemplated. In that case the further delivery of the mixture into the furnace will be at the said low velocity, without special construction of the burner, as 23, to that end., When using burners of the form indicated at 35 (Figs. 5 and 8), on the other-hand, the delivery of the combustible mixture into the furnace chamber at the said low velocity is accomplished by the reduction lin velocity of the mixture in travelin through the burner from end to end of t e same. This is due to the Haring form of the burner, whereby the cross-sectional area of the burner at its mouth (here shown in Figs. 6 and 11) is substantially greater than at the opposite end where the burner is attached i to the conduit, as 36. For the successful opthe furnace chamber at about the point t0 y eration of the furnace with the burners, as 23 or 35, directly entering the furnace chamber containing the hearth, the deliveryof the combustible mixture of powdered solidfuel and air into the furnace chamber at the said relatively low velocity'.has been found to be of especlal importance, particularly during the early stages of the heat.

As in the case of the burners 23, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the burners 35 (Figs. 5, 6, 8 and 11) are arranged in a transverse horizontal row, and they enter the correspondin furnace chamber 38 (Fig. 5) or 40 (Fig. 8

through the front end wall- 41 or 42 near the I roof 43. Likewise theburners 35 are inclined to direct the flame upon the floor of which the metal bath 44 yor\45 extends when melted, that is to say, upon the adjacent edge of the hearth 46 or 47. That-part, as 48 (Fig. 5) or 49 (Figs. 8 .and 9) of the floor of-the' furnace chamber which is in front of the hearth, as 46, 0r 47, slopes downwardly and rearwardly toward the hearth. Like the sloping portion 17 of the floor of the furnace chamber 15 (Fig. 1) this part of the furnace floor is of such length as to provide a combustion space or heatingchambe-r between the burners and the ,hearth sufficient to insure a` proper condition of the flame where' it implnges upon the bath or hearth.

The sloping portion, as 48 or 49, of the fioor of the furnace chambers 38 and 4'), illustrated in Figs. 5 and 8, also corresponds with the sloping end portion 17 of the Hoor of the furnace chamber 15 illustrated in Fig. 1, in that it drains freely onto the hearth or bath and normally provides yan exposed masonry surface tor assist'in mainent form of burner. As already pointed out,

however, this last mentioned difference arise-s from the location of mixing devices, indicated at 39, immediately adj aoentthe burner 23 inFig. 1, and the use of a relativelyvlonlg conduit, as 36, for delivering the mixture of powdered solid fuel and air to the burner,

as 35, in Figs.`5 and 8.

The particularform of apparatus for deliveringpowdered coal and air to the conduit 36 (Figs. 5 and 8) forms no part of the present invention. Fig. 5 shows one of the conduits 36 extending from the carbureter`50 of powdered coal apparatus of the kind formin the subject .of my' pending application or patent Serial No. 314,136,

filed July 29l 1919. This apparatus includesand means a fuel hopper 51, la feed screw 52, 54 for furnishing an air blast. The feed screw 52 operates in one yf a'plurality of I like compartments atl the bottom of the `hopper 51, and both the feed screw 52 and the.

blast means 54 deliver to the carbureter 50. There are also regulating devices 55`and 56 for changing the and for varying the'volumel ofithe 'air delivered by the blast means 54. These devices make it possible to regulate both the ,intensity and the character of the Haine.

At the beginning. of the operation the cold metal constituting the charge is heaped upon the hearth, as' 16, 46, or 47, thereby leaving a part of the refractory surface of the hearthdirectly exposed to the ame.

speed of the feed screw 52,`

During the early stages of the heat the fiame accordingly sweeps through the heap of cold material immediately adjacent the hearth. The materialforming the base or lower portion of the heap is thus melted first, and the material originally contained in the upper part of the heap gradually sinks into the melted bath upon which the Hama is directly impinging. The formation of a molten bath about a relatively cold, and therefore solid or pasty mass of material, which, being submerged in the bath, would thereafter be melted with difficulty, is thereby avoided.

When the charge is melted the ash from the flame mixes with the slag floating on the bath, and sufficient circulation within the bath to insure the entire mass of material being quickly brought to the desired temperature is maintained by the manner in which the flame impinges upon the path. There is accordingly a saving in both 'the amount of time and the quantity of fuel required for a heat, and the oxidation loss is reduced both because of the shorter duration of the exposure of the metal while in a heated condition and because of the improved character of the fiame. When air under pressure is introduced through the nozzle 33 the proportion of air introduced through the bur'ras 23, may be reduced.

I claim as my invention* 1. In a furnace, in combination, a heating chamber and hearth therefor, a combustion chamber, a Hoor for the combustion chamber which is above the level of and adapted to drain freely onto the hearth of the heating chamber, and a jet burner for introducing comminuted solid fuel held in suspension with air into the said combustion chamber.

2. In combination with a furnace having a hearth, an endwall in front of the hearth but spaced apart therefrom to provide a combustion chamber between the said end .walland the frontend of the hearth, an exposed masonry oor for said combustion chamber and a roof extending over the combustion chamber and hearth, of a jet burner for powdered fuel entering the furnace through its said end wall and directed over the hearth through the said combustion chamber, means for varying the direction of the flame of said burner angularly in a vertical plane, and means for introducing a supplemental stream of air under pressure immediately under the furnace roof adjacent the front-end of the hearth.

3. In combination with a furnace having a hearth, a bridge-wall at tllfront end of 4the hearth, an end wall En front of the bridge wall but spaced apart therefrom to provide a combustion chamber between the said end wall and bridge wall, a masonry floor for said combustion chamber, and a roof extending over the combustion chamber and hearth, of a jet burner for powdered fuel entering the furnace through its said end wall, means for varying the direction of the flame of said burner at will so that it shall play upon said floor, upon the bridge wall or over the bridge wall intothe space above the hearth, and means for introducing a supplemental stream of air immediately under the furnace roof adjacent the front end of the hearth.

4. In combination with a furnacehaving a hearth, an end wall in front of the hearth but spaced apart therefrom to provide a. combustion chamber between the said end wall and the front end of the hearth and a roof extending over the combustion chamber and heart-h, of an angula-rly adjustable jet burner for powdered fuel entering the fur nace through its said end wall, the adjustment of the burner permitting the flame to be directed downwardly upon the floor of the combustion chamber in front of the hearth or rearwardly over the hearth through the said combustion chamber, and means for introducing a supplemental lstream of air immediately under the furnace roof adjacent the front end of the hearth.

' 5. In combination with a furnace having a hearth, a bridge wall at the front end of the hearth, an end wall in front of the bridge wall but spaced apart therefrom to provide a combustion chamber between the said end wall ,and bridge wall, and a roof extending over the combustion chamber and hearth, of an angularly adjustable jet burner for powderedfuel entering the furnace through its said end wall, the adjustment of the burner permitting the flame to be directed downwardly upon vthe floor of the combustion chamber in front of the bridge wall or rearwardly over the bridge wall and hearth through the combustion chamber, and means for introducing a supplemental stream of air immediately under the furnace roof adjacent the front end of the hearth.

6. A furnace comprising a combustion chamber having a. masonry floor, a hearth, a bridge wall between the floor and hearth, a jet burner for powdered fuel entering the combustion chamber, means to vary the direction of Haine from said burner angularly in a vertical plane so as to direct it toward the Hoor toward the bridge wall or over the hearth, means to introduce a forcible flame depressing blast through the roof of the fur.- nace adjacent the bridge wall whereby the Haine will be forced down into contact with material on said hearth.

7; ln a furnace, in combination, a combustion chamber, a jet burner for introducing comminuted solid fuel held in suspension with air into the combustion chamber, a heating chamber, a depressed hearth for the heating chamber, and a floor for the combustion chamber raised above and sloping totr.:

ward the hearth, the depressed hearth dipping abruptly from the lower end of the floor of the combustion chamber, whereby the said floor is 'always clear ofthe bath held on the 1 drains onto the same, a jet burner enteringl the adjacent margin hearth and drains freely onto the surface of the bath.

8. Ina powdered coal apparatus, in combination, 4a furnace having combustion and heating chamber, a hearth for the heating chamber of the furnace, and a masonry Afloor for the combustion chamber lof-the furnace 'which is above the level of the said hearth and forms an extension of and freely minuted solid fuel held in suspension with air at atmospheric temperature directly .entering one end and directed obliquely downward and inward upon the hearth whereby the flame sweeps through the base of the charge while in the solid state and impinges upon of the bath when meltedand the melted fuel ash falls upon the hearth or charge and mixes with the slag which forms upon the bath.

10. In a melting furnace, in combination, an uninterrupted combustion and heating chamber having a relatively long shallow hearth to receive the heaped charge while in the solid state and to contain the bath when melted, and a low velocity burner for introducing comminuted solid fuel held in suspension with air directly entering the said chamber above the hearth at one end and directed obliquely downward and inward upon the hearth whereby the flame sweeps through the' base of the charge while in the solid state and impinges upon the adjacent margin of the bath lwhen melted and the melted fuel ash falls upon the hearth or charge and mixes with the slag which forms upon the bath.

11. In a melting furnace, in combination, an uninterrupted combustion vand heating chamber having a relatively long shallow hearth to receive the heaped charge while in the solid state and to contain the bath when melted, anda series of separate burners Afor introducing comminuted solid fuel held in suspension with air at atmospheric temperature directly entering the said chamber above the hearth at one end, the said burners being arranged in a transverse horizontal row and all directed obliquely downward and inward upon the hearth whereby the flamesweeps the said chamberabove the hearth at i through the base of the charge while in the solid state and impinges upon the adjacent margin of the bath when melted and themelted fuel ash falls upon the hearth or charge and mixes with the slag which forms` upon the bath. i

12. Ina melting furnace, in combination, an uninterrupted combustion and heating chamber having a relatively long shallow hearth to receive the heaped charge while in the solid state and to contain the bath when melted, and a series of separate low velocity burners for introducing comminuted solid fuel held in suspension with air directly entering the said chamber abovethe hearth at one end, the said burners being arranged in a transverse horizontal row and all directed obliquely downward and'inward upon the hearth wherebythe flame sweeps through the base of the charge while in the solid state and impinges upon the adjacent mar gm fuel ash falls upon the hearth or charge and mixes with the slag which forms v`upon thebath. f

13. The method of melting iron which consists in heaping a charge of the cold solid material upon avrelati'vely long and shallow enclosed refractory` hearth, depositing ignited 'material upon the hearth, and thereafter continuously introducing a combustible mixture of comminuted solid' fuel with air at atmospheric temperature directly into the hearth chamber at o-ne end of the same, the said mixture being directed obliquely downward and inward with respect tov the hearth whereby the flame resulting from the original ignition of the mixture from the torch is continued by contact with the refractory surface of the hearth and sweepsthrough the base of the charge. while the charge is in the solid state and impinges upon the adjacent mar in of the bath when of the bath zwhen melted and the melted melted and the melted uel ash falls upoh the hearth or charge and mixes with the slag .which forms upon the bath.

14. Ina furnace, in combination, a heating chamber, a combustion chamber, a bridge wall located between said chambers provided with an opening extending to the bottom of the wall for dramage from one-of said cham-V bers to the other, and a'jet burner for"in troducing penslon with air into the said combustion chamber.

15.' A furnace oomprlsing a heating cham-- ber, a combustion chamber, a bridge wall comminuted solid fuel held in susprovided with a drainage opening, a jet burner for introducing commlnutedV solid fuel held in suspension with air to said oombustion chamber, and means for directing the jet of fuel, so as to inpinge upon the floor of said combustion chamber, upon said bridge wall or into said heating chamber;

16. A furnace, as recited in claim 15, and a supplementary air supply means in the roofA of the heating chamber. t

17. In combination, a furnace having combustion and heating chambers, a hearth for.

t-he heating chamber of the furnace, and a masonry floor for the combustion chamber of the furnace which is above the level of the said hearth, a jet burner for powdered fuel entering the combustion chamber of the furnaceand the masonry bridge wall located between the hearth and the masonry floor of the combustion chamber, the said bridge wall being constructed with drain openings` for slagv extending through the sameffrom the masonry floor of the combustion chamber ttf the hearth.

18. In combination, a furnace having combustion and heating chambers, a hearth for the heating chamber of the furnace and av masonry Hoor for the combustion chamber AUBREY J. GRINDLE, 

